Borough of Broxbourne Council

The situation

Broxbourne Council recognised that its IT infrastructure and support services were limiting what the organisation could achieve for constituents. Systems were ageing. Support was reactive rather than enabling. Staff couldn’t work flexibly or collaborate effectively because the technology didn’t support it.

The council needed to modernise, but this wasn’t a short-term project. Real change in a local government environment requires partnership, time, and a commitment to change from multiple parts of the organisation.

What SCC did

SCC and Broxbourne Council entered into a seven-year partnership. Rather than imposing an agenda, SCC worked with the council to build one together. The partnership covered three areas: modernising the physical infrastructure, modernising support services, and implementing a wider programme to shift how technology enabled work within the council.

New infrastructure was built to be maintainable and upgradeable, not locked into a single technology choice. Support services were redesigned around what users actually needed, not what was easiest to manage. The programme involved training, change management, and continuous conversation with departments about what was working and what needed adjustment.

What changed

Staff became more productive because they could work flexibly and access the tools they needed. Collaboration improved. Support shifted from firefighting to enabling. Constituents experienced better service because council staff could respond faster and work more effectively.

The seven-year commitment mattered. It meant SCC could invest in understanding the council deeply, could see changes through to outcomes, and could adapt as priorities shifted.

What the client learned

Broxbourne Council learned that IT modernisation in the public sector doesn’t require choosing between progress and sustainability. By committing to a long-term partnership and investing in change management, the council could modernise while building the capability to keep systems current. The experience became a model for how local government could approach technology change at scale.